In his first visit after taking charge as the Divisional Railway Manager (D.R.M.) of the Salem Railway Division, Hari Shankar Verma has shown interest in making Coimbatore Railway Junction a completely accessible place for the differently-abled in the coming days.

Accepting that the junction posed some difficulties for the differently-abled, Verma also opined that the Southern Railways (S.R.) was welcoming Corporate Social Responsibility (C.S.R) funding and initiatives to install lifts and removing barriers.

“This is a very well maintained junction, but it still requires some integration in lighting and lounges. It is good that we have escalators. The basic amenities and facilities, including drinking water, should also be updated,” he said.

Revealing the major troubles faced by the Southern Railways, Verma stated that short supply of bedrolls in A.C. coaches, pest and rodent infestation had been worrying the Southern Railways for a while.

“We have flouted tenders for bedrolls now. But for the pests, we are searching for viable solutions as the air conditioned coaches cannot be sprayed with hazardous chemicals and pesticides. As far as the rodent trouble in concerned, the solution lies with the people. They should stop spilling food crumbs inside the trains,” he opined.

Commenting on increasing the frequency of trains between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore, the D.R.M said that Southern Railways was analysing the possibilities of increasing the number of trains, and also added that the S.R. was awaiting C.S.R. funding in upgrading the seven stations on the Ooty-Mettupalayam Heritage train route, apart from the two stopping points.

Showing a green signal for the long-awaited Coimbatore-Bengaluru train, Verma added that S.R. was studying the demand and will soon run a train after confirming the time.

“The Pollachi-Podanur broad gauge project is also being executed in full swing and will be available soon,” he added.

Later, Verma distributed the 15 wheelchairs and three stretchers offered to the Junction by Round Table of India, and also inspected the Erode and Mettupalayam junctions.